5 Best Uses for a Hilti Gun

A Hilti gun, also known as a Ramset gun, is actually a powder-actuated gun. This is a nail gun that is popularly used in construction. It is also used in the manufacture of materials of hard substrates, with multiple joints.

How Does it Work?

The Hilti gun technology is known as direct fastening. A Hilti gun works on a simple principle. There is a controlled explosion on the pressing of the trigger button. There is a small chemical propellant charge that offsets this explosion. This is very similar to the discharge that takes place in a firearm. Due to this discharge, the nails placed in a file are propelled outwards and are forced into a hard surface.

Types of Hilti Guns

Hilti guns come in 2 broad categories: high-velocity guns and low-velocity guns. In the high-velocity guns, the nails are propelled directly towards the fastener, just like any other firearm. However, in the low velocity gun, the mechanism is more elaborate. A piston is introduced into the chamber. When the trigger is pressed, the propellant acts on the piston and drives the nail or the fastener into the substrate. The average velocity of the fastener remains less than 492 feet per second in a low-velocity Hilti gun.

Uses of a Hilti Gun

Low velocity guns are used for home projects and repairs, whereas the high velocity guns are used in steel industries and ship yards. Given below are five of the best uses of Hilti guns.

Furniture

Hilti guns are mostly used for driving nails into hard surfaces. Making closets, using hardwoods and hardened substrates is extremely difficult because a lot of effort is applied when using the fasteners. A Hilti gun can easily drive a 3.5 inch nail into a large piece of oak without any effort. Since Hilti guns can fire fasteners directly into the woodwork, the effort in the project can be greatly reduced. Also, Hilti guns can fire multiple fasteners in a short period of time.

Finishing

Hilti guns that have small size gauges can be used to fire smaller nails to attach beadings and moldings on furniture and cabinets. These guns can drive nails of 1 1/4 inch into the beading, giving a smooth and perfect finish to the work. They can even be used with brad nails, which may be difficult to hammer manually.

Trimming and Skirting

Hilti guns are also successfully used for trim work like installing baseboards and skirting. They can be used to fix softwood or any other trim work.

Fencing and Framing

Large-gauge Hilti guns allow larger fasteners to be driven into hardwood. Hence, they can be used in framing, fencing, and any other heavy-duty exterior finishing work. These guns can easily drive nails with 2.9 to 3.1 mm diameter into hardwood with just a single power shot. They can also be used to drive shank-style nails that may be annular, twisted or may come in a variety of finishes of galvanized steel.

Strap Fastening

Hilti guns can also be used for strap fastening. This is used to fix metal works like corner plates and joist hangers into timber. This would usually need a high-velocity Hilti gun.